The present disclosure relates to a drain tube mounting arrangement in a vehicle and, more particularly, to the mounting of a sunroof drain tube and positioning thereof relative to an adjacent side curtain airbag. In one embodiment, a sunroof drain tube is pivotally mounted in a vehicle adjacent a side curtain airbag and will be described with particular reference thereto. It is to be appreciated, however, that the present disclosure may relate to other similar environments and applications.
Inflatable safety restraints such as airbags are often utilized in motor vehicles for their potential to reduce injuries and possibly fatalities to vehicle occupants that result from the vehicle being struck, colliding with another vehicle or object, or overturning. More recently, airbags have been employed as curtains within a vehicle and are often positioned along sides of the passenger compartment of the vehicle to further improve the safety of vehicle occupants, particularly against side impacts and roll-overs.
One type of airbag utilized along a side of a vehicle is a side curtain airbag. Conventional curtain airbags unfold or unroll downward to inflate beside an adjacent vehicle occupant to create a barrier between the occupant and the portion of the vehicle defining a passenger compartment in which the occupant is carried. Often, curtain airbags are sized to hold relatively large volumes of inflation gas and are able to extend from a roof rail of a vehicle to at least below a window sill of the vehicle. As a result, these types of curtain airbags can include a relatively large amount of airbag material. Generally, this material is rolled or folded tightly into an elongated tubular bundle. When the curtain airbag is deployed or inflated, the curtain unrolls or unfolds along a side of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, typically adjacent side windows and doors of the vehicle, thereby creating an inflatable barrier for the vehicle occupants.
Typically, side curtain airbags are mounted along a vehicle's side roof rail. When the curtain is inflated, it breaks through a cover, if a cover is utilized, as inflation gas fills the curtain. In many conventional mounting arrangements, the side curtain airbag is mounted to the vehicle's roof rail by a plurality of mounts, which can be bolts or other types of permanent fastening devices. Generally, the roof rails of a vehicle are relatively small and narrow for purposes of providing an appealing and spacious vehicle interior for the vehicle occupants. Thus, the area in which the inflatable curtain is installed and stored (when not being deployed) is relatively small and narrow.
Often, besides the inflatable curtain, a variety of other components are installed in and/or around the roof rail. These components compete for space in this narrow area along the roof rail. Examples of such components include: hand grips, lighting fixtures, sun or moon roof brackets, sunroof drain tubes, wiring, heating and ventilation controls and/or ducts. All of these components require some mounting space. The available mounting space is further constrained by the structure of the vehicle and by the common desire to make the passenger compartment spacious and comfortable.
In addition to spatial constraints, another design issue relates to mounting arrangements of components that are positioned closely adjacent inflatable curtains. Specifically, components mounted closely adjacent inflatable curtains are desirably prevented from projecting into the passenger compartment upon deployment of the side curtain airbag. One such component is the sunroof drain tube which, when utilized in a vehicle, often extends along a portion of a roof rail to which the side curtain airbag is mounted.
The drain tube is typically routed over the side curtain airbag which reduces the likelihood of the drain tube projecting into the passenger compartment upon inflation of the side curtain airbag. However, in some vehicle designs, routing the drain tube over the side curtain airbag is not feasible. Accordingly, any improvements to the mounting of components, such as a sunroof drain tube, adjacent the side curtain airbag are desirable, particularly those that decrease the likelihood of such components being projected into the passenger compartment during airbag deployment.